Good Timber
By Douglas Malloch
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men, good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.
Summary of the poem Good Timber
"Good Timber" is a poem by Douglas Malloch. It describes that hardship and struggle create good timber and strong
men In the beginning, the poet describes that there are two types of trees and men. The first type of men and trees are readily given everything they need to live. These types of persons or trees never have to worry about their food and water. On the other hand, some men and trees must fight to live and survive. Their broken branches and scars are evidence of their struggle to survive. The first type of trees and men live and die ordinary life. The second type stands out and reaches its full potential.
Short Questions and Answers
Q1. What is the significance of the title of the poem "Good Timber'?
The significance of the title 'Good Timber' is that it symbolizes "good men.' The poet compares strong people with trees that grow and reach their true potential by overcoming difficulties. It is only through struggle, like a tree fighting through forest growth to get the sun, that men grow and discover their true potential.
Q2. What is good timber? How does a tree grow into good timber?
A good timber refers to strong wood. A tree growing in a thick forest faces many difficulties. It has to face strong, winds, live through storms, and face uncertain amounts of heat, cold, rain, and snow. It has to fight through forest growth to reach the sun and also to compete with other trees to get its share of rainwater. Only by overcoming such odds, a tree becomes a 'good timber.!
Q3. What, according to Douglas Malloch, is the fate of those people who do not work hard in life?
According to Douglas Malloch, the fate of the people who do not work hard in life is that they do not achieve their goals and do not reach their full potential in life. They never become leaders. They neither attain excellence nor contentment. They live an average life without purpose and die like a common man.
04. How can a person achieve his/her true potential in life? Illustrate it with examples from the poem "Good Timber.
A person can grow and reach his/her true potential by overcoming difficulties. It is only through struggles that a person can discover his/her true potential. The poet says that good timber fights through forest growth to reach the heights and becomes prominent. Similarly, we find leaders where the situation is most difficult, and not only these leaders find solutions to the challenges but also guide others. These are those who take guidance from stars. The law of nature is that to become great, one has to face and overcome obstacles in life.
Q5. What is the central idea of the poem 'Good Timber'?
This poem is an extended metaphor. It compares trees to human beings. It states that people, like trees, grow and
reach their true potential by facing challenges. It is only through struggle, like a tree fighting through forest growth to reach heights, that we grow and discover our true potential. Thus, the central idea of the poem is that struggle is necessary to live a successful, fruitful, and contented life.
Q6. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem 'Good Timber'?
The rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme that comes at the end of each verse or line in a poem. The rhyme scheme of the poem 'Good Timber" is 'AA BB CC.
Q7. An extended metaphor is a poetic device in which two, unlike things, are compared in a series of lines of a poem. Give the example of an extended metaphor from the poem 'Good Timber'.
'Extended metaphor' refers to a comparison between two, unlike things that continues throughout a series of
sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem. It often comprises a few lines, and sometimes consists of an entire poem. The poem 'Good Timber is an extended metaphor. Throughout the poem, the poet compares trees to human beings.
Q8. What is alliteration? Give its examples from the poem "Good Timber.'
Alliteration is when words that start with the same sound (not just the same letter) are used repeatedly in a phrase
sentence. The sound is usually a consonant and the words do not have to be right next to one another.
Following are some examples of alliteration in the poem "Good Timber":
sun and sky
manly man
stronger wind, stronger trees
sun and snow
broken branches
